{"id":1910537,"date":"2025-05-29T14:42:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T12:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/?p=1910537"},"modified":"2025-05-29T20:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T18:41:29","slug":"strong-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/en\/latest-news\/2025-05-29\/strong-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Merz vows to lead strong Europe capable of restoring, defending peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Berlin, May 29 (EFE).\u2014 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that the most important task for Europe was to become strong enough to restore peace and ensure its long-term preservation, pledging that Germany would lead this effort.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1910953\" style=\"width:800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-430x286.webp 430w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184-1200x800.webp 1200w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-184.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur historic task is to make Europe so strong that it can restore peace on our continent and secure it for the long term,\u201d Merz said at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony in the German city of Aachen, where the award was presented to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to say clearly today: Germany is prepared to take on the leadership of this task, in close coordination with our European partners and neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merz said that, since the return of war to Europe with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, Europeans have come to realize \u201cin a truly existential way\u201d how deeply the values of democracy and freedom underpinning the European project are under threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is worth defending freedom and democracy with resolve, and, if necessary, fighting to preserve them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merz, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day earlier, promised that Germany would continue supporting Ukraine \u201cwith all its strength\u201d and contribute to the defense of its partners and allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He noted that Germany recently amended its constitution to provide almost unlimited funds for national defense and for supporting allied nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are working to further strengthen European cooperation between our defense industries, not only within the European Union (EU), but also with partners like the United Kingdom, Norway, and others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Europe\u2019s defense and transatlantic unity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merz added that Germany is \u201cwilling to make far-reaching decisions\u201d at the upcoming NATO summit in June in The Hague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese decisions will fulfill Europe\u2019s responsibility for its own security and further strengthen the transatlantic alliance as a whole,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stressed that Europe\u2019s mission also includes deepening the transatlantic partnership, one based on equality and lasting into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1910959\" style=\"width:800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-430x286.webp 430w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186-1200x800.webp 1200w, https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-186.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is essential both for establishing and sustaining a just peace in Ukraine, and for maintaining peace across Europe as a whole,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The chancellor reaffirmed that \u201cGermany stands at the service of a strong and united Europe\u201d and \u201cwill not stand aside when it comes to defending and strengthening freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity on our continent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn these days, weeks, and months, we are collectively deciding the future of our continent, very concretely. Because history doesn\u2019t simply happen. Politics is made by people. And history is shaped by political decisions,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He noted what he described as a \u201cnew spirit of unity\u201d among European nations, reflected in the recent joint trip to Kyiv by four European leaders, including himself, in high-level meetings across European capitals, and in the agreement brokered by von der Leyen with the United Kingdom, a step he said paves the way for renewed ties between London and Brussels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUrsula von der Leyen is a determined advocate of a strong Europe,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In congratulating her on the Charlemagne Prize, he also highlighted her leadership in ongoing negotiations with the United States to resolve trade tensions in the interest of the EU\u2019s 450 million citizens and its single market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for himself, Merz vowed to work \u201cwith all my strength for a Europe that draws new energy from its unity, continues to serve its people, and\u2014above all\u2014defends their freedom,\u201d the conservative leader said. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>cae-sk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Berlin, May 29 (EFE).\u2014 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that the most important task for Europe was to become strong enough to restore peace and ensure its long-term preservation, pledging that Germany would lead this effort. \u201cOur historic task is to make Europe so strong that it can restore peace on our continent and &#8230; <a title=\"Merz vows to lead strong Europe capable of restoring, defending peace\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/en\/latest-news\/2025-05-29\/strong-europe\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Merz vows to lead strong Europe capable of restoring, defending peace\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198164071,"featured_media":1910538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1910537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Merz: Only a Strong Europe Can Restore Lasting Peace EFE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A strong Europe must be ready to fight for peace, says Chancellor Merz as he vows German leadership in the mission. #StrongEU #Charlemagne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" 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